Cleaning System for an Image Plate Readout Device

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a cleaning system for a set of instruments associated or in contact with an image plate readout device, as well as to a readout device comprising the cleaning system. The cleaning system comprises a disinfecting element, which emits electromagnetic radiation and/or ultrasonic radiation capable of destroying disease carriers, and which is adapted to emit said radiation towards an image plate conveyor mechanism encompassed by the image plate readout device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/504,006, filed Oct. 1, 2014, which application published on Feb. 26,2015 as U.S. Publication No. 2015/0056094, which application is adivisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/643,605, filed Dec. 21, 2009,which application was published on Jun. 24, 2010, as U.S. PublicationNo. 2010/0154820 and granted as U.S. Pat. No. 8,876,985 on Nov. 4, 2014,which application claims priority of Finish Patent Application No.20086240, filed Dec. 23, 2008, which application is incorporated hereinby reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the concept of hygiene, involving for exampleimage plates used in medical imaging processes, and instruments andinstallations, for example image plate readers, associated therewith.Specifically, the present invention relates to a cleaning system for aset of instruments associated with an image plate readout installation,to a readout device comprising said cleaning system, as well as to amethod of cleaning a set of instruments associated with the image platereadout installation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The imaging media employed today in medical imaging processes include atraditional film, a reusable image plate, or an X-radiation monitoringwireless or wired sensor. In the event that a film is used, the film hasbeen accommodated for example in a separate cassette protecting the filmfrom visible light, which cassette may be in contact with a patient andhis/her body fluids during radiography. Likewise, the image plate isshielded inside a protection device during radiography, the X-ray imagebeing captured by placing the object to be imaged, for example a patientor part of a patient, between the source of X-radiation and the imageplate contained within the protection device. Hence, the image plateprotection device may come to contact with a patient and his/her bodyfluids during an imaging process, such as for example in intraoralradiography, during which the image plate shielded by a protectiondevice is in the patient's mouth.

No matter which of the foregoing imaging media is employed, there isalways a risk that disease carriers, originating from a patient and/ormedical staff, may migrate to other patients and/or medical staff by wayof the imaging medium. In the case of an image plate, for example, thefirst risk appears as early as in the packaging stage of an image plate,wherein the image plate is inserted for example in a protectivecardboard or the like, and then, while accommodated in the protectivecardboard or the like, in a shielding device, for example in a sealablehygienic shielding bag, ending up in contact e.g. with a patient duringradiography. In the packaging process, an image plate, prior to beinginserted in protection devices, may be contaminated e.g. by a packingperson, for example by dropping the image plate on the floor or bytouching it with bare hands or dirty gloves.

Another risk factor involves the poor liquid tightness of protectiondevices, for example a shielding bag, whereby, e.g. in intraoralradiography, a patient's body fluids may end up inside the shielding bagand proceed to contaminate an image plate contained in the shieldingbag. Another risk with non-liquidproof shielding bags is that diseasecarriers, possibly inside the shielding bag, may migrate from within theshielding bag into a patient's mouth during radiography.

Still another risk is that the shielding bag is picked up from apatient's mouth for example by a nurse, who then brings the sameinstruments in contact with other objects, for example readout devicesor structural elements or even other shielding bags, whereby diseasecarriers may pass from the nurse to other protection devices and, in thecase of non-liquidproof shielding bags, even all the way to imageplates.

There is a still further risk of disease carriers proceeding from animage plate to instruments in close proximity of the image plate, forexample to readout device conveyor mechanisms, receiver elements ortransfer elements, or to an outlet for image plates, or to a tray intowhich the read-out image plates return from the readout device, andfurther thereby to other image plates or persons or elements handlingthe same.

Prior known are a few solutions for improving the hygiene of, forexample, intraoral image plates and instruments and installationsassociated therewith.

For example, the publication FI 92633 discloses one solution forprotecting an intraoral image plate by means of two shielding bags,wherein the image plate is first inserted in an inner shielding bag openat one end, and which inner shielding bag is then inserted into an outershielding bag, said outer shielding bag being intended to prevent apatient's saliva from proceeding, along with the inner bag, to a readoutdevice, as well as to protect the patient from disease carriers possiblysettled on the image plate surface. The image plate can be placed firstin a cardboard cover and then in an outer shielding bag. In addition,the publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,444 also discloses a solution forprotecting an imaging plate by means of an envelope type container,wherein the imaging plate is inserted in the envelope type container byway of a first end of the container for the duration of a radiographicprocedure and is removed from a second end of the container after theradiographic procedure.

However, the above-cited solutions involve a few problems, for example ashielding bag opening process with uncontrolled tearing of the shieldingbag. This involves a hazard that, in the process of opening a shieldingbag, an image plate present inside the shielding bag is dropped, forexample, on the floor or some other contaminating surface, wherebydisease carriers may end up in contact with the image plate. Theenvelope type container described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,444 is in turnquite complicated in terms of its structure and manufacturing, becausetherein the point of inserting an image plate into the container is notthe same as that of its extraction. Such a container is quite vulnerableto leaks as it includes several openings for the insertion or extractionof an image plate.

Still additionally, the solutions presented in either of the citedpublications are not liquid-proof as both are left with aflow-permitting passage in a folded joint established by a foldableflap, which allows a flow of liquid even all the way to contact with anopening intended for the insertion of an image plate, and thence furtherinside the container and to contact with the image plate. Moreover, forexample the envelope type container presented in U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,444is left with sharp corners as the flap is folded shut. First of all,such sharp corners feel uncomfortable in a patient's mouth, but there isalso a hygiene risk as a sharp corner may cause further damage to apatient's mucous membranes and thereby facilitate the transfer ofdisease carriers to or from the patient's body.

Prior known are also a few solutions for the cleaning of contaminatedintraoral image plates. For example, the publication US 2007/0086911discloses a solution relating to disinfection, wherein the image platereadout device comprises a special disinfecting unit performing thedisinfection by means of a thermal treatment, UV radiation, chemicals,or a gas treatment.

A problem in the solution presented in US 2007/0086911 is, however, thefact that the device explicitly disinfects image plates presentlycontained within an image plate readout device. In the event that atraditional image plate is disinfected for example by means of UVradiation, the image plate must be subjected thereafter to an erasingprocedure or at least to a dark treatment prior to its reuse, whichclaims time and resources with at least one operation added to theprocess, and secondly, the image plate is not immediately reusable. Inaddition, powerful UV radiation is harmful to the image plate andshortens its service life.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the invention to set aside drawbacks associatedwith the prior art. According to one embodiment, the invention pursuesto improve the hygiene of image plates used in medical imagingprocesses, as well as that of instruments and installations, for exampleimage plate readers, involved therein, and thereby to minimize thespreading of disease carriers by way of radiography-related media and/ormedical staff amongst patients and/or medical staff members.

The objectives of the invention are achieved by a cleaning systemaccording to claim 1 for a set of instruments associated with an imageplate readout device, by a readout device according to claim 9, as wellas a cleaning method according to claim 10.

The cleaning system of the invention for a set of instruments associatedwith an image plate readout device is characterized by what is presentedin claim 1 directed to a cleaning system.

The readout device of the invention is characterized by what ispresented in claim 9 directed to a readout device.

In addition, the cleaning method of the invention is characterized bywhat is presented in claim 10 directed to a cleaning method.

The concepts presented in this document are used e.g. in the followingmeanings: [0019] “The conveyor mechanism” is a mechanism, which conveysor otherwise carries an image plate or a transfer element (either withor without the image plate), inserted in a readout device, at least overpart of the way inside the readout device, in order to be read by areader unit of the readout device. The conveyor mechanism can be amechanism consisting for example of conveyor belts, a carrier arm, aholder, rollers and/or guides or the like. According to one embodiment,the carrier arm or the image plate holder can be the same as a gripperelement serving as the receiver element, the gripper element beingadapted not only to receive an image plate or a transfer element, butalso to carry the image plate or the transfer element within the readoutdevice. In some embodiments, the conveyor mechanism is also adapted tocarry an image plate or a transfer element to an outlet for imageplates, which can be a separate outlet or co-function as an inlet,depending on the design of a readout device. [0020] “The receiverelement” is for example an element set in the immediate vicinity of areadout device for the reception of an image plate, or a transferelement intended for the image plate, in the readout device. Thereceiver element can be for example an adapter provided in connectionwith the conveyor mechanism, enabling image plates or transfer elementsfor image plates of various sizes to be fed into the readout device. Theactivation of a receiver element may comprise, for example, activating aset of instruments associated with the inlet of a readout device forenabling the placement of an image plate in said inlet either as such orfitted in a transfer element, for example adjusting an adapter asrequired by the image plate or the transfer element. According to oneembodiment, the adapter may adjust itself for example as required by atransfer element, for example a cassette, in such a way that thetransfer element, for example a cassette, remains in the adapter, and animaging medium present inside the transfer element is passed from theadapter to the readout device for reading, thus also enabling a part ofthe transfer element remaining in the adapter, as well as the adapteritself, to be disinfected. The activation of a receiver element may alsocomprise switching the readout device's gripper element to a standbymode, enabling the placement of an image plate in the gripper elementeither as such or fitted in a transfer element. The receiver element mayalso be a protective lid of the readout device, which opens upon itsactivation. [0021] “The transfer element” is for example an element, inwhich an image plate, used e.g. in intraoral radiography, is carriedfrom place to place. The image plate within said transfer element can befed into a readout device to be carried by the readout device's conveyormechanism and further to be read by the readout device's readerelements, and further to an outlet for read-out image plates. The outletcan be a separate outlet or, alternatively, the same as the inlet. Thetransfer element can be for example an image plate carriage, an adapter,or a cassette relevant to the imaging medium.

According to one embodiment, the cleaning system for a set ofinstruments associated with an image plate readout device (or in contactwith a readout device) comprises a disinfecting element emittingelectromagnetic radiation and/or ultrasonic radiation capable ofdestroying disease carriers. According to this embodiment, thedisinfecting element is adapted to emit said radiation towards an imageplate conveyor mechanism encompassed by the image plate readout device.The cleaning element is preferably inside the readout device or at leastin such a disposition that radiation emitted thereby is not allowedoutside the readout device. In one embodiment, the activated mode of acleaning element is shown by means of providing an indication externalof the readout device, for example a signal light and/or an audio signalor an indication by display elements.

According to a second embodiment, the image plate readout devicecomprises a readout device cleaning system as defined above.

A cleaning system or method, as described in the foregoing, for a set ofinstruments associated with an image plate readout device (or in contactwith a readout device) does indeed offer obvious benefits with respectto the prior art. The cleaning system provides an improvement regardingthe hygiene of readout installations by enabling a readout device to bedisinfected also on the inside. If, for example, the protection elementused to enclose the imaging medium has become damaged for some reason,or if the employed imaging medium or the transfer element associatedtherewith has become contaminated (for example by a patient's or medicalstaff member's body fluids and/or by disease carriers), the internalcomponents, for example conveyor elements, of a readout device may alsobecome contaminated by way of such an imaging medium or transferelement. By virtue of the invention, however, the role of a readoutdevice's internal components as a potential source of furthercontamination can be effectively minimized, because the disinfectingelements enable destroying, among others, disease carriers that haveended up in conveyor mechanisms.

According to one embodiment, the disinfecting element emits radiationalso towards receiver elements, which are associated with the readoutdevice and intended for enabling the reception of an image plate and/ora transfer element. The receiver element can be for example an entranceto the readout device for inserting an image plate or a transfer elementtherein, or it can be a protective lid covering the entrance. Somereadout devices may even have several entrances of various sizes forimage plates and/or transfer elements of various sizes.

The receiver element can also be an adapter, by means of which forexample a cassette is fitted in the entrance of a readout device. Theadapter is preferably arranged to fit a cassette in the entrance of areadout device tightly, such that radiation emitted for example by thedisinfecting element is not allowed to the environment outside thereadout device. In one embodiment, the adapter is a frame, enabling thefitting of varying-size cassettes or image plates or transfer elementsof image plates in the entrance of a readout device. In this case, theadmittance of radiation to the outside of a readout device is restrictedin other ways.

According to one embodiment, the receiver element can also be a gripperelement for receiving an image plate or a transfer element.

According to one embodiment, the transfer element, for example acassette, may remain for example in the entrance of a readout device orin an adapter fitted therein, such that the disinfecting element iscapable of emitting radiation towards the entrance or the adapter, andfurther towards the transfer element, for example a cassette, thusenabling at least part of the transfer element to be disinfected aswell. In this case, among others, a part of the cassette can bedisinfected for example when the imaging medium has been extracted fromthe cassette and the cassette is in engagement with the entrance or theadapter.

According to one embodiment, the disinfecting element emits for exampleUV radiation, X-radiation, thermal radiation and/or ultrasonicradiation. According to one embodiment, while emitting electromagneticradiation, the disinfecting element can be the same as that used forvacating (erasing) the image plates. According to yet anotherembodiment, the disinfecting element is only adapted to function when noimage plate is present inside the readout device. Among others, thisprovides the advantage that, if a traditional image plate is disinfectedby powerful UV radiation, the image plate must then be subjected toerasing or to a dark treatment before it can be used again.

The operation of a disinfecting element can be adapted to proceed forexample as a procedure relevant to image reading, in a timed fashion, oras an independent procedure.

It should also be noted that, according to one embodiment for improvingthe hygiene of a readout device, the internal and/or external surfacesof the readout device, particularly those in contact with an image plateor otherwise subject to repeated touching, can also be coated with aso-called antimicrobiological material. According to one embodiment, aspecific part of the readout device can also be manufactured from anantimicrobiological material. Such antimicrobiological material can befor example a material included in the SAME group (self-assemblingmonolayer end groups)

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in the nextsection in slightly more detail with reference to the accompanyingfigures, in which

FIGS. 1A-1C show one exemplary image plate readout device and a cleaningsystem for instruments relevant thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEW OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows one exemplary image plate readout device 100 and FIG. 1C acleaning system 102 for instruments associated or in contact therewith.According to one embodiment, the cleaning system 102 comprises adisinfecting element 102 a, which emits electromagnetic radiation and/orultrasonic radiation destroying disease carriers and which is adapted toemit said radiation towards an image plate conveyor mechanism 104 a, 104b, 104 c encompassed by the image plate readout device. The conveyormechanism is for example a carrier arm or some other image plate holder104 a, a roller or guide 104 b, which is adapted to convey or at leastto displace or guide an image plate or a transfer element within thereadout device. The conveyor mechanism can also be a gripper element 104c.

The disinfecting element 102 a, 102 b can be adapted to emit radiationalso towards receiver elements 106, which are associated with thereadout device 100 and intended for enabling the reception of an imageplate and/or a transfer element, for example towards an entrance 106 aand/or an adapter 106 b intended for the reception of an image plate ora transfer element, or towards a protective lid in engagement with anentrance to the readout device. According to one embodiment, the readoutdevice 100 may comprise several cleaning elements 102 a, 102 b or,alternatively, a single cleaning element 102 a can be adapted to bepivotable or otherwise movable, such that a beam of radiation emitted bythe disinfecting element can be directed as desired either towards theconveyor elements only, towards the receiver elements, or optionallytowards both.

According to one embodiment, the disinfecting element 102 a used fordisinfection (especially in the embodiment with the disinfecting elementemitting electromagnetic radiation) can be the same element as that usedfor vacating or erasing the image plates.

According to one embodiment, the cleaning element may compriseidentification means 103, which identify the presence of an image plateinside the readout device, and wherein the identification means 103 areadapted to restrict the disinfecting elements 102 a, 102 b to onlyfunction when no image plate is present inside the readout device. Thisenables, for example, the disinfection of elements intended forconveying an image plate, as well as image plate transfer elements (sansthe image plate) and image plate receiver elements, without exposing theimage plate to radiation, for example UV radiation.

According to one embodiment, in communication with the image platereadout device is arranged a detection element 110 for detecting anobject, for example a user, or a gesture or motion performed by theuser. The detection element is preferably set in data communication withthe readout device such that, upon detecting an object for example inthe proximity of the readout device, the detection element is adapted tocommunicate a signal to the readout device or to control elements 112.According to one embodiment, the control elements are in turn adapted,upon being triggered by a signal communicated by the detection element,to perform some function, for example to control the operation of adisinfecting element for example as a procedure relevant to imagereading, in a timed fashion, or as an independent procedure.

The detection element 110 a, 110 b can be for example a camera or aradar with an ability to observe gestures or motions performed by auser, for example on the basis of pattern recognition. In this case, thecontrol unit 112 is adapted to interpret the gestures or motionsperformed by a user and to control a procedure relevant to the detectedgesture, for example to activate the cleaning system's cleaning elements102 a, 102 b either immediately or with a delay. FIG. 1B shows also ameans indicative of an active mode of the cleaning element, which inthis case is a signal light 120. According to one embodiment, anindication about the active mode of a cleaning element can also be giventhrough the intermediary of a guidelining element 114.

It should be noted, however, that the readout device cleaning system ofthe invention can also be implemented without the detectioninstrumentation depicted in FIG. 1B. In this case, the control element112, which control, among others, the cleaning elements, is disposedelsewhere in communication with the readout device, for example incommunication with the cleaning system 102.

Described above are but a few embodiments for a solution of theinvention. The principle of the invention is naturally subject tovariations within the scope of protection defined by the claims,regarding, for example, implementation details as well as applicationsectors. Although the above description deals quite specifically withintraoral image plates and equipment and elements relevant to reading orprocessing the same, the invention is not limited to these, theintraoral image plate being just one example of image plates commonlyused in radiography.

It should also be noted that the equipment and instruments shown in thefigures are not necessarily to scale in all aspects thereof, and thatfor example the image plates and/or the transfer elements encompassingan image plate can be fed into the readout device also in verticalplane, even though, for example in FIG. 1C, an adapter 106 b is depictedin horizontal plane.

1-15. (canceled)
 16. An image plate readout device comprising: a readerunit that is configured to receive and read an image from an imagingmedium; a detection element adapted to detect a gesture or motionperformed by a user; a control unit connected to the reader unit and tothe detection element, the control unit configured to execute a functionof the image plate readout device, wherein the control unit executes thefunction of the image plate readout device based upon a signal receivedfrom the detection element.
 17. The image plate readout device of claim16, wherein the control unit interprets the signal received from thedetection element as at least one gesture or motion performed by theuser.
 18. The image plate readout device of claim 17, wherein thefunction of the image plate readout device is one function of aplurality of functions of the image plate readout device and the controlunit selects the function from the plurality of functions of the imageplate readout device based upon the interpretation of the signalreceived from the detection element.
 19. The image plate readout deviceof claim 17, wherein the control unit uses pattern recognition tointerpret the signal received from the detection element as at least onegesture or motion performed by the user.
 20. The image plate readoutdevice of claim 16, wherein the detection element detects the gesture ormotion outside of the imaging plate readout device.
 21. The image platereadout device of claim 20, wherein the detection element detects aproximity of the gesture or motion to the imaging plate readout device.22. The image plate readout device of claim 16, wherein the detectionelement is a camera.
 23. The image plate readout device of claim 16,wherein the detection element is a radar.
 24. The image plate readoutdevice of claim 16, further comprising a conveyor mechanism within theimage plate readout device configured to receive the imaging medium,wherein the function of the image plate readout device is conveying theimaging medium to or from the reader unit inside the readout devicebased upon the signal received from the detection device.
 25. The imageplate readout device of claim 16, further comprising a receiver elementconfigured to receive the imaging medium into the readout device,wherein the function of the image plate readout device is an activationof the receiver element to enable access of the imaging medium into thereadout device.
 26. The image plate readout device of claim 16, furthercomprising a disinfection element configured to emit radiation capableof destroying disease carriers in the interior of the image platereadout device, wherein the function of the image plate readout deviceis an activation of the disinfection element to emit radiation capableof destroying disease carriers in the interior of the image platereadout device.
 27. The image plate readout device of claim 16, furthercomprising: a conveyor mechanism within the image plate readout deviceconfigured to receive the imaging medium; and a receiver elementconfigured to receive the imaging medium into the readout device;wherein the function of the image plate readout device comprisesactivation of the receiver element to enable access of the imagingmedium into the readout device and conveying the imaging medium from thereceiver element to the reader unit inside the readout device based uponthe signal received from the detection device.
 28. A method of operatingan image plate readout device having a reader unit that reads an imagingmedium, the method comprising: detecting an motion or gesture outside ofthe image plate readout device by a user using a detection element;identifying a function of the image plate readout device based upon themotion or gesture detected by the detection element; and executing thefunction of the image plate readout device with a control unitcommunicatively connected to the detection element.
 29. The method ofclaim 28, wherein the function of the image plate readout device is toactivate a receiver element, and comprising: activating the receiverelement based upon the motion or gesture detected by the detectionelement to enable access of the imaging medium into the readout device.30. The method of claim 28, wherein the function of the image platereadout device is to convey the image plate, and comprising: conveyingthe imaging medium to or from the reader unit inside the readout devicebased upon the signal received from the detection device.
 31. The methodof claim 28, further comprising detecting a proximity of the motion orgesture outside of the image plate readout device with the detectionelement.
 32. The method of claim 28, wherein the detection element is acamera.
 33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: receiving thesignal from the detection element at the control unit; and interpreting,with the control unit, the signal from the detection element as at leastone gesture or motion.
 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the functionof the image plate readout device is one function of a plurality offunctions of the image plate readout device and further comprising:selecting the function from the plurality of functions of the imageplate readout device based upon the interpretation of the signalreceived from the detection element.
 35. The image plate readout deviceof claim 28, wherein the detection element is a radar.